


Just Like Old Times

by hpdm4ever, MessiFangirl (hpdm4ever)



Series: Leo + Luis (After Neymar) [2]
Category: Football RPF
Genre: FC Barcelona, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Hotels, Liverpool F.C., M/M, Suaressi, Translation into Chinese available, Translation into Russian Available, teammates
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-09
Updated: 2018-02-09
Packaged: 2019-03-16 00:49:34
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,503
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13625046
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hpdm4ever/pseuds/hpdm4ever, https://archiveofourown.org/users/hpdm4ever/pseuds/MessiFangirl
Summary: “I thought it would be easier for you,” Luis says, scratching his jaw like he’s not sure what else to say. “But, Philippe… I can’t leave Leo, you see?”Philippe is all of a sudden flooded with jealousy. He’s seen them together, of course. Anyone with eyes can see the bond between them, but Philippe hadn’t quite realized it was as deep as this. Deep enough that Luis would choose Messi over him.Now translated into Chinese by Lucialov onLofter.com.Now translated into Russian by Nord_Sommer onFicbook.net.





	Just Like Old Times

**Author's Note:**

  * For [autumnale](https://archiveofourown.org/users/autumnale/gifts), [Jackdaws](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Jackdaws/gifts).



> Next part of OINTB is almost readyyyyyy
> 
> Anyways, I wrote this today, kinda spur of the moment. I don't quite know Philippe all that way yet, but his prior connection with Luis is very interesting!
> 
> For pique and jackdaws xoxo (I don't even know if you guys will like it, but for you anyways haha)

“Took long enough,” Philippe says, sprawling out on the bed by the window. “I was beginning to think that I was cursed or something. Especially after hitting the crossbar last game.” Even now he can still hear the smack of the ball against the bar. But it was nothing compared to the thunderous noise that he heard when he finally, *finally*, hit the back of the net.

Luis just laughs at him from the other bed, hands linked behind his head as he stares up at the ceiling. His knee is propped up on a pillow, the bag of ice taped to it only now just beginning to melt. It’ll have to come off soon or else he’ll end up sleeping in a giant wet spot, but for now, he seems content. “Oh, come on,” he says lazily. “Cursed? You?”

“You think I’m kidding,” Philippe says quietly, looking up at the ceiling himself as Luis’ laughter fades away. He can feel Luis’ gaze on him now, just as powerful as ever. “But after what I went through to get here—,” he says, biting his lip.

“I never had any doubts,” Luis interrupts. “I mean it, Philippe.” He smiles that silly toothy grin when Philippe looks over at him. “Barcelona can be the best thing that ever happened to you,” he adds when it looks like Philippe is going to object. “Outside of little Maria, that is.”

Philippe can’t help smiling himself as he thinks of his daughter.

“Trust me,” Luis continues. “You and me? Here together again?” His smile softens. “It’ll be just like old times,” he says, shifting his position until he’s sitting up against the headboard. His hand goes to his knee and he grimaces a little. A fleeting whisper of pain crosses his face before it’s gone in an instant. “Older and wiser, maybe,” he says, winking, “but just the same.”

Philippe smiles. “Just the same,” he echoes. He licks his lips, Luis’ wink stirring up old feelings he thought were long gone. “And us rooming together again, too,” he says, sitting up himself. The action riles up his shorts slightly, a little higher than proper maybe, but it’s not like Luis has never seen it before.

Luis’ eyes flick to Philippe’s thighs for a second before going back to his face, but he does no more than that. His smile is still there, but it’s more friendly than anything else. If there’s heat there, it’s hidden, and part of Philippe is disappointed.

And a little confused.

“I thought it would be easier for you,” Luis says, scratching his jaw like he’s not sure what else to say. “But, Philippe… I can’t leave Leo, you see?”

Philippe is all of a sudden flooded with jealousy. He’s seen them together, of course. Anyone with eyes can see the bond between them, but Philippe hadn’t quite realized it was as deep as this. Deep enough that Luis would choose Messi over him.

“After Ney,” Luis continues, looking away, a tinge of disappointment filling his voice. He shakes his head. “And in a different way, after Masche left,” he smiles sadly at Philippe. “You get it, right? I can’t leave him alone like that. This,” he says, gesturing between them, “is just temporary, until you find your feet and decide who you want to room with.”

Philippe nods. “I get it,” he says quietly. And he really does. He’s not sure he knows the whole truth of what happened with Neymar, but he knows most of what Luis is saying. “And Messi was okay? With…?” This time, he’s the one pointing between them. Admittedly, he doesn’t know Messi that well yet, but he doesn’t want to get on his bad side.

“Oh, of course,” Luis says quickly, smiling again. “He totally wants you to feel welcome with us.”

That’s not quite what Philippe meant, and he’s just about to clarify when there’s a knock at the door.

“Speak of the devil,” Luis says. “He said he’d stop in to say goodnight.” He looks down at his knee and is about to hop off when Philippe realizes how silly that is.

“I’ve got it,” he says, rolling off the bed and padding over to the door. Peeping through the hole, he can see that Luis is right: Messi’s standing there. “Hey,” Philippe greets somewhat awkwardly, opening the door to let Messi come inside.

“Hey,” Messi says back, seeming bemused. He’s wearing a t-shirt and sweatpants and doesn’t take more than a few steps into the room, strangely. Philippe isn’t sure why. Instead, Messi stares over at the bed at Luis, raising his eyebrows. And then he turns and gives Philippe his full attention for a second, and Philippe finds that he’s frozen.

Somehow, in that second, Messi appears to take in every inch of him. Those dark eyes flick down to where his shorts are still high on this thighs, to his bare feet to take in the band-aid wrapped around one of his toes, back up to his face to the scruff on his chin… Philippe runs a hand through his hair, feeling a strange embarrassment as if Messi’s seeing every imperfection.

Messi smiles afterward like Philippe has passed inspection.

But Philippe isn’t sure what any of this was even about.

While he’s still thinking about it, Messi passes him to go loom over Luis. Or, loom over as well as he can being as short as he is.

“Still hurting?” Messi asks, sounding concerned. He bats away Luis’ hand and starts to prod around the top of Luis’ knee, massaging the muscles, fiddling with the ice bag as if that’s going to do anything. “Did you take something or are you trying to be brave?”

Luis opens his mouth, but Messi shakes his head. “You’re trying to be fucking brave,” he says, reaching into his sweats and pulling out a bottle of pills. “I fucking know you, Luis,” Messi says, shaking the bottle in Luis’ face. “Two of these, now.”

Philippe is surprised to hear Messi cursing, but he shakes it off. He waits for Luis to object, to make up some excuse, to laugh in Messi’s face. But Luis does none of those things. Instead, Luis smiles without complaint and takes the pills.

“It’s not so bad,” Luis says, even as he opens the bottle and swallows two. “But, for you…” He grins cheekily. Messi just rolls his eyes and takes the bottle back, shoving it into his pocket so hard that it pulls his waistband down enough that a hip bone appears.

“Idiot,” Messi murmurs, but it’s fond.

Philippe feels out of place all of a sudden like he’s the one interrupting Messi and Luis, as opposed to the other way around. He returns to his bed, feeling clumsy as he stretches out again. When he looks up, Messi and Luis are watching him. “What?” he asks, wondering if he’s missed something.

“Nothing,” Luis says, smiling. He opens his mouth to say something and then grabs Messi’s wrist. “Say goodnight now, Leo. I know you, too, and you’re fucking tired.” He tugs and tugs until Messi’s bent down over him. “Phil’s good people,” he adds when Messi flicks his eyes over to look at Philippe again. “Right, Philippe?”

Philippe doesn’t really know what that means, but he agrees anyway. “Of course.”

Messi’s still staring, and it’s like he’s measuring Philippe again. But then he softens and turns away, back to Luis, and lets himself be tugged down even further. So low that…

“Oh,” Philippe says without meaning to, watching as Luis kisses Messi. It’s light and soft and sweet, so different from what Philippe was expecting.

So different from the way Luis used to kiss Philippe.

Philippe’s embarrassed all over again, now, desperately wanting to turn away and yet somehow unable to. Worst of all, he finds himself reacting in a way that he definitely shouldn’t be. He fumbles quickly to get under the sheets, cheeks flaming when the motion causes the other two to separate. “Sorry,” he chokes out, hoping that they don’t notice everything.

Luis is too nice to suspect anything, but Messi’s eyes are darker than Philippe has ever seen before.

“I’ll see you tomorrow,” Messi says quietly, more to Luis than to Philippe, though his eyes linger on Philippe a little too much. “Get some rest,” he adds with a smile as he turns back to Luis, fingers brushing Luis’ knuckles.

Luis says something back, but Philippe can’t hear it due to the blood rushing through his ears. And when Messi’s finally gone, the door clicking closed behind him, only then does Philippe feel like he can breathe. “He’s such a worrier,” Luis is saying, chattering on, completely oblivious to Philippe’s reaction. “But, you’ll get to know him better and you’ll see for yourself.”

Philippe just nods. He partially hopes that’s true. But one thing he knows for sure. Luis is wrong about what he said before.

It is most certainly *not* just like old times.

**Author's Note:**

> I have little bits and pieces of Leo/Luis that I need to post here, some will be earlier chronologically but just need to find the time to kinda finish them up. Still, if I don't post this now, I'll never do it lol...


End file.
